Wargame Wednesday – Tomorrow’s War SOP (Updated)

Last year I posted about trying to get Tomorrow’s War into a playable condition. To recap, the basic Infantry Combat system is well done, but when adding other items, like mechanized combat or interface craft and the Grid, the game suffers from not being seamlessly integrated. So in February 2012 I took a stab at trying to get it all to flow together.

After a year of on-and-off tinkering I now have a revised version of the Expanded Sequence of Play (SOP). The hardest parts for me to figure out were Air Defense, VTOLs, and the Grid.

For Air Defense there are literally two systems; an abstract Air Defense Environment and Ground Fire from units on the board. Figuring how these worked together/overlapped/were separate was an intellectual challenge. The solution (?) finally came to me as I was wrestling with the second major problem; what is a VTOL.

Like Air Defense, VTOLs come in a somewhat abstracted off-board support form and on-board units (treated as vehicles). It is important that they be defined BEFORE game play. This is crucial since vehicles count for Initiative whereas off-board/abstracted assets don’t. Once you define VTOLs one way or the other it becomes clearer which Air Defense resolution system should be used.

Of course, the Grid lays on top of both systems and adds a further layer of complexity because it literally provides a mechanism for a unit to cross from one Air Defense system to the other. [Sigh!]

Another major factor in my revision was a conscious effort to move as much into the Action/Reaction part of the turn. I think this effort is in keeping with the Designer’s Intent to have the interactive combat/movement part of the game be the true heart of the system. So whereas last year there were several “actions” conducted outside the Action/Reaction phase now many of those “actions” are where I think the Designer intended them to be.

So here it is, the February 2013 version:

Tomorrow’s War Expanded Sequence of Play (Feb 2013 Version)

1. Campaign – Spend Operational Momentum Points (p. 177 Spending Operational Momentum Points)
2. Note units suffering Loss of Grid (p. 159 Loss of Grid)
3. First Aid; Call for Medic; CASEVAC – Walking Wounded (p. 64-68 Casualty and Casualty Evacuation)
4. Stress Test (p. 88 Stress Test)
5. Morale: Pull Back Units noted as Regrouping; Mark Irregular Shaken units  (p. 86 Pull Back; p. 167 Irregular Morale Effects – Shaken Result)
6. VTOL Morale Check to return (p. 134 VTOL Damage Effects – VTOL Damage Chart – Withdraw)
7. Arrival of Reinforcements; Insurgency Level Test (p. 37 Start New Turn – Arrival of Reinforcements, Hot Spots; p. 168 Insurgency Level and Reinforcements)
8. Dropship Landing (p. 130 Dropships)
9. Resolve regular Airstrikes; Grid-enabled units using SFAD restricted to SFAD fire for remainder of turn (p. 126 Calling in an Airstrike; p. 157 Synchronized Fire – Synchronized Fire Air Defense (SFAD), Synchronized Fire Against Aircraft)
10. Merge Units (p. 53-54 Merging Units)
11. Declare (and test for) unbuttoned AFVs (p. 103 Tank Commanders – Buttoned Up & Unbuttoned)
12. Declare Hidden Units; Chameleon Suit units resume hiding (p. 80-81 Special Fire Combat Rules – Hidden & Stealthy Units; p. 82 Chameleon Suits)
13. Drone/UAV Detection Check; Distributed Drones Grid Quality Check vs. Hidden Units (p. 80 Aerial Drones and Hidden Unit; p. 148 Distributed Drones)
14. Declare Controlled Dumb Bot; Recall Bots (p. 144 Independent Dumb Bots; p. 146 Recalling a Separated Bot)
15. Initiative (p. 38-40 Initiative)
16. Declare Overwatch Units; Place Bots on Overwatch (p. 70 Special Fire Combat Rules – Overwatch; p. 146 Bots and Overwatch
17. Initiative Force activates unit (p. 41 Actions)
    • TL2 or TL3 forces with Loss of Grid must act as Pinned (p. 159 Loss of Grid, p. 86 Pinned)
    • Hot Drops/Parasail Assaults (p. 134 Hot Drops & Parasail Assaults)
    • VTOL Landing/Take-off (p. 131-132 VTOL Troop Insertions)
    • Fast Rope or Grav Belt Insertions (p. 132 Fast Rope or Grav Belt Insertions)
    • Disperse/Manipulate/Transform and Hostile Mobs (p. 160 Regular and Civilian Mobs, p. 161 “Popular” Leaders and Civilian Mobs, Hostile Mobs)
18. Resolve Reactions (p. 41+ Actions and Reactions); Round of Fire (p. 41-44 Reactions)
    • Resolve Reaction Tests starting with non-Initiative unit nearest to activated unit and work outward
    • Resolve Reactions starting with non-Initiative units that lost; nearest to farthest from Active unit
    • Resolve Reactions where non-Initiative units won Reaction Test nearest to farthest from Active unit
19. Repeat 17 and 18 until all Initiative Units have been activated (p. 35 SOP)
20. End Phase
    • After all Initiative units have activated, any Non-Initiative units that has not made a Reaction during turn may move and/or fire.
    • Regular Initiative units who are fired at may react as part of a Round of Fire, as may units on Overwatch (p. 35 SOP)
21. Move civilian mobs (p. 160 Civilians on the Battlefield)
22. Grid Quality Check/Jamming Grid Quality Check (p. 155 Grid Quality Check, p. 158 Jamming the Grid)
23. Morale: Pinned units become “un-pinned”; Shaken units recover (p. 86 Pinned; p. 167 Shaken Result)
24. Check to Regain Confidence (p. 88 Regaining Confidence)
25. Remove Smoke (p. 74 Smoke)
26. Campaign – End of Game (Turn 5 and later) (p. 177 End of Game)

All in all, a bit more realistic.

Couldn’t pass on this.  While searching for images to use found the one below. A future soldier from a 1950’s perspective! Love the helmet – very Disney or Mr. Potato Head-like – but no gloves?